Residents
of Turner, Maine are wondering if an animal found dead
over the weekend may be the mysterious creature that has
mauled dogs, frightened residents and been the subject
of local legend for half a generation.

The animal was found near power lines apparently struck by
a car. The carcass was photographed and inspected by several
people who live in the area, but nobody is sure exactly what
it is.

For the past 15 years, residents across Androscoggin County
have reported seeing and hearing a mysterious animal with chilling
monstrous cries and eyes that glow in the night. The animal
has been blamed for attacking and killing a Doberman pinscher
and a Rottweiler the past couple of years.

Loren Coleman, a Portland author and cryptozoologist, said
it's unlikely that the animal was anybody's pet.

After reviewing photos of the carcass, Coleman said he was
bothered by the animal's ears and snout. It reminded him of
a case years ago in northern Maine in which an animal shot
by a hunter could not be identified. In the end, wildlife officials
got a DNA analysis that showed the animal was a rare wolf-dog
hybrid, he said.

It was charcoal gray, weighed between
40 and 50 pounds and had a bushy tail, a short snout, short
ears and curled fangs hanging over its lips, he said. It
looked like "something
out of a Stephen King story."